Extra chapter at the end of Sabriel
by Miffy
Summary: I wrote this a few years ago, when I was 13, it's a new chapter at the end of Sabriel. It's just a one-off piece, there will not be more chapters.


Sabriel and Touchstone glanced round at all the bodies. Sabriel knew it would be easy for her to reach into death and retrieve them, but she was tiring and, as they were murdered by Kerrigor, they may have already gone way past the first gate.

They wandered from body to body, not touching the bodies for fear of them vanishing into pure dust. Their hands managed to grasp each other, neither of them knew how.

Touchstone stared at Sabriel. Her skin was ghostly pale, her lips were scarlet but firmly closed as if with glue. Her expression was distraught. Horrified by all of the corpses of innocent people, her friends.

Touchstone gulped. He couldn't stomach much more of these images. Images of death.

A tear rolled down the bony cheek of Sabriel. Touchstone chose this moment to steer them away from the bodies.

"I think maybe it is best if we retire to bed. You have seen enough." Touchstone whispered softly.

Reluctantly, Sabriel nodded. They dawdled towards the Perimeter wall. Sabriel felt that she couldn't stay in Wyverley College. It seemed Sabriel was so much older than her school friends now that she was Abhorsen.

Touchstone gently put his hand over Sabriel's eyes so she wouldn't see the devastation caused by Kerrigor at the wall between Ancleisterre and the Old Kingdom.

He took his hand away when they turned into the room in which General Horyse had made them cups of tea just hours before.

Sabriel instantly settled into a dusty old armchair while Touchstone lit the fire to boil the kettle.

However, by the time the tea was brewed, Sabriel was asleep, curled up in a ball.

Touchstone sat down on a high backed chair. His limbs ached and he wished the last couple of hours had never happened. With no Mogget, no General Horyse and a new and inexperienced Abhorsen, they were going to have to rely on charter magic alone to protect people against the dead.

Then, he must have fallen asleep because he fell of his chair and onto the hard stone floor with a clash. He had no energy to get up so he just lay there in silence and let himself fall asleep.

The sunlight flooded into the petite room. The warmth was welcomed on Touchstone's face. He slowly opened his eyes, not remembering where he was.

Sabriel was sat up. Her eyes were red and her face was dripping wet. Touchstone wandered over to her. He slumped on the arm of the chair and put his arm around Sabriel.

"Come on, cheer up. It'll be OK. Kerrigor is gone. Sabriel, you are Abhorsen. Abhorsens don't cry! What do you think your father would think if he saw you like this? Pull yourself together!" Touchstone whispered.

Miraculously, these wise words seemed to do the trick and amazingly, after half and hour, a permanent smile was fixed upon Sabriel's face.

"I must return to the Old Kingdom, to my father's house. We have work to do there." Sabriel insisted.

Touchstone nodded and started to pack their few items into two exceedingly large rucksacks that had been found in the cupboard.

As Touchstone prepared for the journey, Sabriel was gazing into a copy of 'The Book of the Dead' that had been slowly gathering dust, forgotten on a shelf. It's knowledge was no stranger to Sabriel by now.

"Time to go!" Touchstone exclaimed in between whistling songs.

The trance that had held Sabriel while reading the book was instantly shattered.

Sabriel carefully placed the book back on the dusty shelf.

Touchstone handed her one of the gigantic rucksacks. It was obvious to Sabriel that Touchstone had typically given himself the heavier pack but she didn't utter a word about it.

When the rucksacks were placed on their backs they ran outside into the other side of the Perimeter wall. The Old Kingdom.

Touchstone inhaled a long breath of air. The air of home. It was only two days since Sabriel and Touchstone had flown into Ancleisterre from the Old Kingdom but it felt like a decade.

"Come on! Let's go! The Abhorsen is coming home!" Sabriel yelled in the air, leaping as she did so.

Touchstone grinned. Maybe Sabriel would make a good Abhorsen after all…


End file.
